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Eduardo Mendes, also known as EddyTestosterone (EduTestosterona in Portuguese) writes the MTV-sponsored blog Testosterone: The Modern Macho Man's Blog (Testosterona, o blog do macho moderno). In late August 2012, a complaint was filed before the Public Prosecutor's Office regarding a post from May 2010 entitled “How to Get Your Girlfriend to Have Anal Sex” (“Como obter sexo anal com sua namorada”) that included a 3.5-minute video extolling the virtues of rape.

The fictional video, which has since been removed from the blog, shows Billy hitting his girlfriend's head with a brick in order to rape her after her twice refusing anal sex. The video ends with Billy and his girlfriend passed out in bed.

In response, web surfers began calling into question the type of misogynistic content constantly posted on the blog and the blog's sponsorship by MTV. Amanda tweeted:

Image from the online campaign to end the blog Testosterone taken from the Facebook page “We Condemn This” ["Nós Denunciamos].”

I still do not understand why MTV has not taken Testosterone down. Is machismo such a money maker?

Fátima, in her blog Sub Judice, discusses the post in legal terms. According to the author, the video posted by EddyTestosterone “shows a form of sexual crime… a hideous crime.” She further explains MTV's supportive relationship with Testosterone:

As long as it is the sponsor, [MTV] is giving its “ok” to the blog's content, or would a company of such weight sponsor a blog whose content it did not agree with? Unlikely.

The logic goes as follows: MTV Brazil, a company that clearly influences youth in setting behavior and consumption trends, PAYS the blog owner to commit the crime of DEFENDING THE CRIME [of rape].

Humorless Jokes in the Brazilian Media

Despite MTV's having published a piece saying that partner blogs do not reflect the opinions of the broadcasting company, NGOs and individuals continue to question the company's partnership with the blog. Critiques of the blogs claim that the humor expressed by Testosterone stems from content that incites humiliation of those who are not male, heterosexual, white and of a certain economic class.

Testosterone's author accuses his critics of lacking a sense of humor. What he seems not to understand is that his ideas have very real consequences.

In March, the Federal Police detained authors of another blog inciting hate against women, homosexuals and a number of other social groups; they were partners of Testosterone and also posted content on Testosterone. During the investigation, the Police further discovered that the other blog's authors were planning a massacre at the University of Brasília.

What needs to be said is that this type of humor is shared socially because it expresses the intrinsic violence of the group to which it pertains. Moreover, these jokes justify social discrimination, establishing the dominant logic as to who should be demoralized or psychologically crushed. This type of humor offers us the ability to historically understand the formation of stereotypes and the perverse manner in which prejudices are reaffirmed. In this context, MTV certainly is responsible for the web pages it hosts.

At least two petitions against the blog Testosterone have been drafted. One was launched on September 13 by the online community All Out, which fights for sexual freedom. Entitled “MTV: Stop Sponsoring Hate” (“MTV: Deixe de Patrocinar o Ódio“) and aiming for 10,000 signatures, the message is addressed to the president of MTV Networks, Van Toffler, in an attempt to convince the company to end its partnership with the blog Testosterone.

The other was created on September 4 by Lívia de Figueiredo Brasil in Avaaz. This petition is seeking 3,000 signatures to send to the Secretariat of Policies for Women.

At the time of writing this post, the video remains on YouTube, MTV has yet to make any new statements and the blog is still sponsored by the television network.